TECO and Gasparilla Music Festival are rolling out plans for their 2024-25 Streetcar Live music series – literally. The unique concert program puts bands on trolleys that roll through Ybor City, downtown Tampa and the Channel District, a traveling performance by some of the area's best musicians. Streetcar Live is free and travels the length of TECO’s 2.7-mile trolley route.
A rolling concert series may be an outside-the-box concept, yet it makes perfect sense when Gasparilla Music Foundation Executive Director David Cox explains its origins.
“After our second Gasparilla Music Festival in 2014, our Sustainability Committee, led by board member Taylor Ralph, was exploring ways to promote alternative transportation options in downtown Tampa and to our festival,” says Cox. “Originally, we shot a video with a great local band, the Groves, on the streetcar. After the success of that video and the proof of concept, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) representative Frank Wyszynski and our team developed the idea to make it a regular series.”
Cox says the Streetcar Live series is “a lot of fun,” with regular concertgoers making tracks for the trolley shows from as far as Brooksville. Bands set up on one end of the streetcar line terminus at Centennial Park in Ybor City at 6 pm and perform for two trips from the Centennial Park Station to Hattricks Station by the Fort Brooke parking garage in downtown Tampa. Concerts, dates and times are announced ahead of each event, and many concertgoers will catch the trolley at Station 1 in Centennial Park to get the best seats.
“But a lot of people are just getting on the streetcar headed out for the evening or to an event at Amalie Arena and get the lucky surprise of having a live band playing on the street,” adds Cox.
He believes it is a win-win proposition – not just for music lovers but also for the bands who play for them. “From the band's perspective, it is such a unique experience, as the ride provides lots of twists and turns and roundabouts. And they really enjoy seeing the faces of unsuspecting passengers who hop on the streetcar and light up like they've won the lottery when they see a band performing.”
Streetcar Live schedule:
Sept. 27: JT Brown (duo) space folk
Oct. 25: Dwn Ta Earth R&B/Soul
Nov. 22: Taylor Reed Duo Alt/Neo-soul
Dec. 27: Doug South Band indie/blues/surf
Jan 24: Barefoot & Flowers folk/pop
Feb 28: Smoove Jamz jazz/easy listening
March 28: The Sunsetters reggae/R&B
April 25: EarthTonez jazz fusion/hip hop
May 23: JudyAnne Jackson (duo) Americana/country
For more information, go to Streetcar Live
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